West Bottoms drove KC’s economy

Not long before Fred Harvey had the picture taken for this postcard, the old Union Depot was demolished. A new Union Station had just been erected and dedicated close to the city’s core on Pershing Road.

This view of the old Central Industrial District shows how things looked from the vantage of riding the Ninth Street incline from downtown to the meat packing district and stock yards.

Missouri Avenue, where the old Union Depot was located, is prominent in the left-center of the card. A large empty space can be seen where the old depot once stood. In the foreground, Bluff Road (as it is presently known) is the main north-south artery along the west side of the great bluff overlooking the district. The iron bridge in the center of the card was demolished in 2005 in order to make a safer, wider structure and ramp leading into the district. To the right, Sewall Paint & Glass as well as Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company buildings are visible.

Loose-Wiles, as you may know, went on to become Sunshine Biscuits, part of the Nabisco family of products.

Fred Harvey was a prolific businessman of his day, operating restaurants and hotels and publishing postcards depicting the wonderful vistas found in the cities where he operated his businesses.